Words vs action: the truth behind fossil fuel advertising

Greenpeace Netherlands commissioned DeSmog to conduct an analysis of over 3034 adverts and promotions on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Youtube from six selected fossil fuel companies for an investigation that aimed to understand the volume, and severity of greenwashing across Europe. These companies include Shell, Total Energies, Preem, Eni, Repsol and Fortum. From this initial analysis we can confidently say that all the companies in the dataset are greenwashing as their advertisements and promotions do not accurately reflect their business activities — either through an overemphasis on their ‘green’ activities, or an under-emphasis on their fossil fuel activities.

Key findings

• The average percentage of greenwashing adverts (greenwash = climate friendly + false solutions) totalled at 63%, almost two thirds.
• Half of the companies analysed dedicated 81% of the advertisements assessed to greenwashes.
• The average percentage of ‘green’ climate friendly adverts amongst all companies is 50% of all adverts.
• The worst greenwashers were Shell, Fortum and Preem who dedicated 81% of the advertisements reviewed (from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Youtube) to greenwashes between December 2019 when the European Green Deal was announced and April 2021.

The gap between what these companies say and do is huge. To take the example of two of the worst greenwashers, we can see just how stark these disparities can be:

• Shell invests 80% in oil and gas, meanwhile 81% of their advertisements were greenwashes. Specifically, 60% of their promotions were promoting clean energy alternatives, however only 10-15% of their actual investments are in renewables.
• Preem has stated that less renewables make up only 2% of their fuel production, yet 81% of their advertisements present their company, and their fuel production as climate friendly.